Advice Needed On Which Dog Breed?

[Megatron]

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Hello!

I am new to this forum and would like some advice please. We are considering getting a dog and are interested in particular in either labs, retrievers or a beagle.

If I explain our lifestyle perhaps someone could give us their opinion on which of these breeds you think may suit us best? We have both had much loved dogs in the past but none of the above breeds (rough collie and jack russell).

We have two children aged almost 9 and 6 and would love a dog to be part of our family. My husband works full time and sometimes works away during the week and I work 5 hours a day mon to friday, term time. Our main concerns are:

suitability with children?

leaving the pup/dog alone for 5 hours a day?

is a puppy crate necessary/advisable nowadays?

suitability for family holidays/camping?

We are both willing to put the work/hours in and the children will be well trained but we want to do as much research on these breeds are possible before we go any further. We are both probably leaning slightly towards the beautiful beagle as a breed but I am concerned that they need very specific training and may be slightly delinquent!

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to reply.

 

[banana]

Hello there - welcome to Dog Forum!

I have a goldie and she is amazing with the kids - i also have a JR cross and she is also great...

We have a member who has beagles and they sound a complete handful.. I wonder if its the best option for a family and when it will be left 5 hours a day?

Crate training is fine - I would plan to get a puppy at the beginning of the summer holidays so you can train him/her. I dont see why you cant take your puppy on holiday - i dont take mine but plenty of people do

 

[quintessence]

Are you able to visit Discover Dogs which is held at Crufts in March? There you will be able to talk to breeders and owners who live with these different breeds day in, day out in addition to which they have a lot of experience of breeding puppies and placing them in their new family homes.

I can't emphasise enough the importance of buying a puppy from a reputable breeder,someone who will be there for you should problems arise.

Have a look on The Kennel Club website, look at the puppies for sale pages and look for the breed clubs for your chosen breeds. Contact the Secretaries and ask to be put in touch with someone in your area who is experienced in the breed, find out when the shows are and go and have a look. Do as much homework as you can to make an informed decision.

Jenny

 

[Megatron]

Thank you for replying . We are a bit concerned about beagles, we would both love one but it has to be the right breed for our family. Labs and retrievers as both beautiful breeds too so we may need to look into them a bit closer. Thanks again!

Thanks quintessence, it's such a big decision isn't it, we really want to get it right.

 

[Megatron]

Well we've decided on a lab anyone any advice on this breed?

 

[eingana]

I've never owned a lab, but the most notorious things about them when they come into rescue is that a huge proportion of them seem to be chewers and they need a lot more exercise than people expect (but not too young as that risks damaging growing joints). They're also prone to getting rather portly, which is made worse by their endless enthusiasm for food, so lots of training on how to be polite around food is necessary if you take on a lab.

If you're going for a puppy then please whatever else you do, research the lines, research the breeders and only consider a pup from propery health checked and hip scored parents where the results actually are available for you to view (and then really do look at them). Too many labs have hip dysplasia and no breeder should be breeding from a dog or bitch with anything other than perfect hips. There's still a chance that a pup will have dysplasia, but it's much less than getting a pup from a puppy farm or unreputable breeder. I'm sure that someone else will fill you in on the other lab-specific health problems to check, but as I say, I'm not aware of lab health problems in the way that I am with my own breed.

I'd suggest that you read up around using a crate as a dog bed/toilet training help/chewing prevention device as well as the basic training, as it's a much easier thing to introduce to a puppy than to an older dog.

Whatever else you do, please get your head around the budget for buying a pup (if you are going for a puppy). There's a reason why some pups are expensive and some are less expensive. A really well bred pup may cost you double what some other pups cost as an initial layout, but if you look at some of the really dreadful health and temperament problems that can be caused by bad breeding, it really isn't worth saving on the initial outlay and then spending 10 times what you saved on behaviourists or vet bills, or having a dog that lives their entire life in pain because of a congenital problem that could have been prevented by good health tests before breeding.

I hope you and your family enjoy the process of finding the right dog for you and then training and sharing your lives with him or her

 

[Megatron]

Thank you eingana your post is really helpful. I have given myself the job of contacting some recommended breeders over the next couple of week, I agree that initial outlay is relative. We're prepared to travel too (within reason) for the right puppy for us so I think it may be a few months before we're there but at least we will hopefully have the right dog at the end of it!